The Sound of Breaking
by Computerfreak101
Summary: Sequel to No One Saves the Damned. Mai is the only Battle City finalist who hasn't been able to let go of the past. After waking up from yet another nightmare, she is visited by a much worse blast from the past: Bakura.


Compy: Hello everyone! Thank the Gods--I'VE WRITTEN SOMETHING! XD

Now, I started this soon after I finished No One Saves the Damned, but abandoned it for months because I felt I was getting a bit on the ranting side, and that I was pushing the fic harder than necessary. The thought that NOSTD didn't really _need_ a sequel crossed my mind plenty of times as well.

Then, while pulling one of my famous Saturday Night All Nighters, I was rereading all the old fics I started but never finished (and there's quite a lot), and I read this. I don't know whether it was the dozens of mint Hershey's that I had just had, or just exhaustion messing with my brain, but I suddenly liked what I wrote and wanted to finish it. So, two hours later, voila! A sequel is born!

**ALL RIGHT! PEOPLE WHO DON'T READ THE A/N'S, AND THE REST OF YOU, READ THIS! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE READ NO ONE SAVES THE DAMNED! THAT IS ALL!**

X3 Enjoy!

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.**

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The Shadow Realm, over millennia, has been called many things: Realm of Shadows, Eternal Darkness, and a living nightmare. All the evil, hatred, and suffering of the world is represented in a swirling black abyss, stretching endlessly in all directions; because, as everyone knows, evil knows no limits. Once a man's heart knows hatred, there is no end to what he can do. The Shadow Realm is that hatred, and in it's nonexistent boundaries dwells terrible, grotesque demons. It is dark, evil, and so bitterly cold. It is…

"Hell," Mai whispered, her eyes frantically searching the shadows. "It's Hell…oh no. No, God, not again! Not this again!" Mai stumbled back, straining her violet eyes to discern any shape, any form in the blackness before her. It was the same thing every night, and she knew he would be here soon.

"Looking for me?" She screamed, spinning around to lock eyes with his. If this was Hell, she thought, Yami no Malik was Satan himself. The very essence of hatred, anger and sorrow…all of a young boy's negative emotions broken free to wear a human skin. If Yami no Malik could ever be considered human.

"Mai, what's the matter? You look so frightened." The way he said that last word…so loving, his rough voice caressing each syllable. Fear, to him, was fine wine. Mai's mind screamed at her to run. Run, walk, crawl, anything to get away before Yami no Malik erased everything…again. But this was the same…every night it was the same, so she knew it was hopeless. She couldn't run, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Leave me alone." The words were barely above a whisper, but Yami no Malik still smiled that demonic smile, which ripped his face apart every time it revealed itself. The veins bulged in his face and neck, and his eyes glistened with bloodlust.

"Why should I? I told you before you're weak! Everything you've done until now has been a waste of movement and breath. A wench like you has no business in the world of light…so once again, I suppose the task of disposing you has come to me." Mai's heart stopped as the dark personality drew the long, golden rod from his belt loop. How could she have missed it, that cursed object that's glow nearly blinded her in the darkness?

It was simple. Once a person looked into the eyes of the Devil, it was futile to notice anything else. You saw nothing but the death that awaited you, not even the instrument that would bring it all about.

"Good bye, my dear. May the Shadows enjoy your mortal soul."

"No…wait, please, don't do this to me, don't-" She screamed as the sudden light forced her to her knees. Which was just as well, for the glass pyramid that held her now was too small to stand up in. Yami no Malik laughed as she cried out, slamming her fists onto the glass.

"Let me out! Please, someone, anyone, help me!" She squeezed her eyes closed as she fell the sand pour onto her hunched back, the grains falling so much faster and heavier than before. A raw desperation seized her as the sand tickled her neck within seconds. "No! Don't do this to me! Joey! Joey, please, rescue me! Joey!" The sand engulfed her then, suffocated her. She tried to fight it but it dragged her down, deeper and deeper…

Mai Valentine shot up in bed, her shoulders heaving and her ragged breath rushing in and out of her chest. Cold sweat covered her skin, and her hands (along with the rest of her body) were shaking as she raised them to her face. It was only a half moon tonight, but the silver light shone through the slits of her blinds anyway, to fall across her and the blankets in small, lustrous stripes.

"It was just a dream," she gasped. "Just a dream." Throwing the covers off of her as if they were diseased, Mai stumbled across the room into her bathroom, not bothering to turn on the lights. She turned the tap more forcefully than she would normally, and cupped the cold water into her hands. "It was only a dream," she repeated, more to break the thick silence in her apartment than to just reassure her. She splashed the liquid against her face, shivering a bit as the droplets trickled down her chin. " Just…a dream…"

"Of something very real." Her gaze shot up, and Mai screamed. The figure in her mirror was unfazed, instead letting out a soft chuckle. "Ah, did I scare you? My apologies." Mai stared into the glass, her chest moving up and down faster than usual. Even in the darkness of the small washroom, there was no mistaking the wild, white hair of the newcomer. Of course, even if she were blind, Mai would be able to recognize his voice anywhere. It belonged to the only one who had ever turned her way when she was in the Shadow Realm, the one who hadn't disappeared when she called their name.

_'No,'_ she thought. _'No, he was no exception. He did leave. He stayed only to lure me into a false sense of hope and then he…'_ She growled.

"You…what are you doing in my mirror?" The man laughed, sounding more amused than anything.

"Turn around." Cautiously she did so, and screamed in shock to find him standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame casually, arms crossed at the chest and watching with humor as she fought to slow her racing heart. "You do enjoy screaming, don't you?"

"How did you get in?" Mai demanded, trying to keep her voice down. If anyone in the neighboring rooms woke up she was screwed. She mentally shook her head. _'He snuck in, not the other way around! Why do I sound like some high school girl who snuck her boyfriend into the house under her father's nose?'_

He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Being a thief has its advantages. Being the king of all thieves has even more." He ran his dark gaze up and down her body, clad only in silk pajamas with the top a bit more unbuttoned than she would have liked. All her thrashing around must have popped a few buttons open. "I wonder what you were dreaming about, so vividly?"

Her silence and glare earned another chuckle, and he turned to walk back into her bedroom. Mai followed in time to hear him say, "I think I know. You were recalling what he did to you, weren't you? You were reliving your loss to Yami no Malik, and revisiting the Shadows. Well, I can understand what a nightmare that must be, especially when you have the same dream every night."

Mai stopped dead, her violet eyes narrowing angrily.

"How did you know? Are you stalking me?" Mai finally recalled the name for his face, his face that had appeared in her dreams on occasion. He was the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, the dark being that possessed Ryou Bakura, just like the Pharaoh possessed Yugi.

Yami no Bakura.

"Stalking is such a dramatic word," drawled Bakura, sitting on her bed. He crossed his legs and arms and seemed to ponder his next sentence. "Let's just say that I've been keeping tabs on you ever since I was strong enough to repossess Ryou."

"Stalking."

"No, I believe to stalk someone you would have to follow them, and _only_ them in secret for quite some time. I have done no such thing. I've been keeping track of all the Battle City finalists since Malik was defeated. Don't feel so special."

"Then how did you know about my dreams? And why are you here?"

"So full of questions, I wonder why? Surely you can't be that surprised to see me, I'm sure you must see me every night in those dreams of yours, correct?"

Mai's face reddened. "W-What?"

"You and I both know I was an important part of your little visit to the Shadow Realm. The only one who came, remember? You can't tell me that after all I did for you you've cast me aside?" He was off the bed now, and standing in front of her. Too close, Mai realized, fighting to keep her breathing regular, her face emotionless. As if sensing her inner fight, Bakura smirked, leaning forward so that when he talked, his lips grazed her ear. "I'm hurt Mai, I truly am."

Mai pushed him away and walked to the other side of the room, standing near the door. He may have given her a second glance in the Shadow Realm, but he was not to be trusted. Never. "You seem to know all about my dreams; you tell me."

Bakura watched her put on a brave front with a vague sense of pity. Did she honestly think that she could hide her pain? Didn't she realize that her suffering, along with the answers to all the questions he did and didn't ask, were written across that heart shaped face of hers, plain as the day he despised? Shaking his head, Bakura dropped all pretenses.

"You know, after Battle City, everyone has more or less moved on. Except you."

This seemed to throw her off. She blinked several times before snapping, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that every person that was involved with the Battle City fiasco has gotten on with his or her lives. Don't forget, you were not the only one that was banished to the Shadow Realm. So were Wheeler and myself, and we're both back, putting the ordeal behind as nothing than a minor setback and another life threatening experience. Malik has locked his darkness away and, once having come to terms with his family's mission, is embracing the world above ground. Seto Kaiba is once more tending to his company, putting his dueling on hold to construct his amusement park, and the Pharaoh and his friends are once again chasing after the key to unlocking his highness' memories. You are the only one still clinging to the past, and the only one haunted by it to this degree. " She was shaking her head now, mouthing wordlessly for a few moments before sound came out.

"What are you talking about? I have put the past behind me! I've moved on with my life, and am once again striving to become the best!"

"Oh, and these nightmares are just something to pass the time, are they? Stop lying to the both of us, it's really quite irksome."

"Why do you care?" Mai spat, cursing as she felt her eyes water. "Why should you care if I'm still haunted by these memories? Why does it matter to you that every night I relive the moments, that every night I see the Rod above my head, sentencing me to eternal torment? That now, all that's left for me is a card game, one that no matter how hard I try at, I still remain Mai Valentine, runner up? I'm scared, lonely and confused, and I can't tell what's worse, the days or the nights. I haven't been the same since Battle City, I'm drowning and have forgotten how to swim! But curse it, those are my problems, and none of them concern you!" Mai didn't realize the words that had spilled from her mouth, or the growing volume of her voice until she stood there, glaring at Bakura and breathing hard. She blinked when she felt water run down her face, and dropped to her knees, burying her face in her hands and letting out a self-loathing moan.

She didn't hear him walk over, but she felt him tower over her as she cried. Mai shuddered when Bakura finally knelt down, watching her dispassionately.

"I may not have any right to care…and I really don't, despite your outburst. I'm just curious as to why you still haven't let go, and I never leave anything alone once they've captured my curiosity. Call it a sin, but it's true. No Mai, I don't care…but shouldn't your friends?" Behind her palms, Mai's eyes flew open and Bakura continued. "Isn't it odd, that they preach on and on about friendship, and yet they are so blind that they can't even see you breaking? I wonder why they _don't_ care…I wonder why they never came for you before…and why they don't come now."

"They came for me." Bakura watched her try to defend his enemies, and give herself hope at the same time; he felt a twinge of pity for the woman, along with a sense annoyance at her futile denial. "Joey tried to free me before Malik attacked. He stood in the warpath of an Egyptian God, and promised that he'd protect me…that I was his friend. And Yugi…Yugi shielded us both from the blast. He and Joey both fought Malik to rescue me, and they did. Joey cried at my bedside and said he'd do anything to get me back. They care, Bakura, I know they do!"

"Very strong reasons. But have you ever considered that their actions were not as noble as they seemed? Or that, perhaps, their intentions were not entirely focused you?" Mai stared at Bakura, who only smirked and continued. "Wheeler's always been an idiot, trying so hard to play the hero so people will see him as his own person, and not Yugi's sidekick. The little underdog that only won his first few duels because Yugi coached him through it. And he hated Malik just as much as anyone did. Isn't it possible, he only tried to free you in an attempt to both be a hero and to stop Malik? He may have seen you as a friend…but not to the level that he sees Yugi and the others. And isn't it even more possible that Yugi only shielded you both because _Wheeler_ was his main reason? That he did it to protect his best friend, and in doing so, you?

"Malik was a power hungry madman. He wanted the Pharaoh's power to take over the world. If he won Battle City, many things would not be standing right now. Many people would be dead, or in the Shadow Realm. The Pharaoh and Wheeler only fought him to stop him from reaching that goal. Once again, they took it upon themselves to save mankind. Wheeler was banished to the Shadows, and that made Pharaoh fight twice as hard. Rescuing all that Malik banished was merely a bonus, Mai. Wheeler doesn't like losing, that's why he was so upset when you didn't woken up. Their actions helped you, Mai. But you weren't the reason they did it."

"Stop it." Mai wrenched her gaze away from the thief's face and crawled away from him. "Stop poisoning my mind. Yugi, Joey, and the others are my friends. They helped me, they rescued me. Which is more than I can say for you! You came to me in the Shadow Realm, you offered me hope, and then you walked away! You were laughing at my screams, I know you were! You're nothing but a demon, and your intentions are no better than Malik's. Why should I take anything you say seriously?"

She was so close to breaking now, Bakura could sense it. The thought gave him a sadistic pleasure, as it always did when he was playing with someone's mind, slowly breaking their resolve until there was nothing left. And Mai was _so_ much fun to break, he noticed that when he met her in the Shadow Realm; she fought _so_ hard against his words, snapping and snarling like a wounded animal that knew it would die but was desperately trying to survive, even if for another second. Truth be told, Bakura had only approached her tonight to finally end his curiosity; to find out _why_ she was still tormented so he could forget about her and move on with his plans. But now, seeing her insult him and snap at him and watching those violet eyes fill with tears and dull with despair just like they did months ago, Bakura found he wasn't satisfied with just knowing the answer, not anymore. No, he decided that he wouldn't leave until she was thoroughly broken, miserable, and alone, and blaming Yugi and the others for everything.

If nothing else, it would be _very_ satisfying to know he had taken away one of the Pharaoh's so called "precious" friends, a little victory to savor before the real fun began.

"I hate you. I don't _care _why you're here or what you want from me, but get _out_! Stop messing my head and leave me ALONE! I'll scream if you don't leave, so help me--"

_'So loud,' _Bakura thought with disdain, suddenly deciding that they had both wasted enough time with words.

Mai's eyes widened with shock as the spirit of the Ring leaned forward, silencing the scream rising up in her throat with a harsh, demanding kiss. She struggled, pushing at his shoulders and trying to back away, but he grabbed her wrists and pulled her closer, squeezing painfully hard when she tried breaking away.

Still struggling, Mai was pulled from the floor, Bakura's lips still on hers. His eyes weren't closed, though, they were open and watching her, performing the seductive smirk that his lips were too busy to do.

_Mai…_

She squeaked when she heard his voice, smooth and seductive inside her mind.

_Mai, I may have left….but I came back, didn't I? I'm right here, and I'm not planning on leaving any time soon._

She was going insane…it was the only reason Mai could think of to explain his voice, no longer rough and malicious, but smooth--and soothing?--in her head. To explain why her struggles to break his hold on her arms was slowing, why they had fully stopped, and why she was relaxing into this man's arms. Why her eyes were sliding closed and why her mouth was responding to the kiss.

She was _definitely_ going insane…and his voice continued, its soft tone echoing in her suddenly blank mind.

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I am here…but they are **not**. They may have saved you, but what happened after that? Have they ever called you? Visited to see how you were doing? Do they know that you're having these nightmares, Mai, do they know you're drowning every night?

Does **anyone** know?

No…_she responded, unaware that Bakura was slowly moving forward, unaware that the backs of her legs hit the edge of the bed, and she was now laying under him, still kissing him._ No one knows…o-only--_she gasped has he bit her lips, the kisses becoming rough, his hands moving lower and lower, no longer holding her arms, no longer needing to_--

Only you know.

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I'm honored…but why **me**, Mai? Why choose a _**demon**_ such as I to reveal all this to?

Not a demon, _she gasped,_ You're not a demon! Please, please, Bakura, help me!

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Help you? Now that sounds familiar…ah, yes! You said those words to me when we first met, Mai, do you remember? I do, but this time, I won't leave…I won't be like Joey…I won't leave you…

More kisses, more words, and Mai grabbed onto Bakura desperately and didn't try to stop anything that happened next, wouldn't DARE stop it for anything in the world, because she was drowning and he was her lifeboat and if he was a demon and if this was hell, then Mai would gladly sell her soul to the Devil (cruel lavender eyes were banished with a pair of hot lips against her throat) a thousand times over. She screamed, (from pleasure or pain or both, she didn't know) and she cried, and Bakura kept kissing her, kept saving her, and banished every thought and memory and ounce of darkness from her soul.

It wasn't Heaven, and it wasn't Hell, but in his arms, Mai slept dreamlessly for the first time in months.

She didn't see Bakura get up and dress, and she didn't see him smirking wickedly at her still form under the sheets. She didn't feel him run a long, now cold finger down her tear-stained cheek, and she didn't see a pair of dark brown eyes glint in satisfaction before they left as silently as they had come.

What she did hear, hours later, was the crash of thunder and the pounding of rain that sent her eyes flying open, and her body reeling upright. For a minute she didn't remember why her pajamas were on the floor, or why her lips were so swollen. When she did, she looked around wildly, searching for a mass of white hair, or a burning pair of brown eyes. She even called his name, if only in her mind.

Mai's apartment was empty.

He had left, like all the others.

They had all left her…

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Isn't it odd, that they preach on and on about friendship, and yet they are so blind that they can't even see you breaking?

She didn't moan or cry, but she threw herself from the bed, grabbing the first pair of clothes she could find, and running out the door into the downpour outside.

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I wonder why they never came for you before…and why they don't come now.

Mai ran down the deserted sidewalks, shaking her head and trying desperately to banish the words and images and those dark, piercing EYES from her mind. But without Bakura to grab on to, without the fires of…somewhere (because it wasn't Heaven and it wasn't Hell) to distract her, the task proved harder than before. Mai didn't know how long she ran before her chest began to hurt when she breathed, before her legs felt like jelly and she came close to falling more than once.

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I won't be like Joey…I won't leave you…

She leaned heavily against the wall of a building, not knowing where she was and not caring. The water had soaked her to the bone in minutes, but Mai didn't care. Dull, violet eyes stared at the pavement below her, her mind and body numb, and her soul so tired. She was just _so tired_…

"I quit," she murmured, not knowing if the water on her face was rain or something else. She raised her eyes to the blackened sky, her bare shoulders sagging and shaking. "I'm never going to get what I deserve anyway…"

A blinding light enveloped her, causing Mai to shield her eyes. Blinking away the spots in her vision, she could hear someone calling to her. Her name…he was yelling her name…

"Hey! I know you! You're Mai Valentine, right?" The light was from the headlight on a motorcycle, and its rider spoke with a thick Australian accent. She glared; of all the things she needed now, _this_ was certainly at the bottom of the list.

"Who wants to know?" she snapped. The man took off his helmet, showing a tanned face with spiky brown hair and blue eyes. He grinned. "Your next dueling opponent."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.**

It was over so _quickly_. As the last of her Harpies faded with a defeated shriek, Mai fell to her knees, fighting the desperate urge to cry for the umpteenth time that night. What had she come to…? She once prided herself on being one of the best Duelists there was, and now some punk who had appeared out of nowhere had beaten her! In less than five minutes!

She shook her head when he approached her. "Leave me alone…!" She didn't want anyone to see her like this, as if she didn't know how pathetic she was, how weak and hopeless. She hated those feelings, and she hated herself.

"I just…" When had he titled her chin up? "I just want to be the best…" she whispered, staring into those blue eyes, so much brighter than Bakura's, and so much kinder.

"What you want is true power."

"True….power?"

"Right, and I know how you can get it. " He stood up, and Mai fought a sudden desperate urge to grab his arm to make sure he didn't ride away without taking her too. He continued, oblivious to her thoughts. "But the first thing you have to do is stop sitting out here like an idiot waiting for those 'friends' to help you." She glared…how many times would she hear that speech in one night?

_But have you ever considered that their actions were not as noble as they seemed? Or that, perhaps, their intentions were not entirely for you?_

As the biker continued talking, Mai felt something inside her break, piece by piece. They were right…they were all right, Bakura, this man, and even her own subconscious, which she had been ignoring ever it began whispering those same words after her nightmares started. If Yugi and Joey and the others were her friends…why hadn't they come? Didn't they know how scared she was? Didn't they care?

_They may have saved you, but what happened after that? Have they ever called you? Visited to see how you were doing? Do they know you're having these nightmares, Mai, do they know you're drowning every night?_

No. She stared at the stranger's outstretched hand, listening to him promise her the world, victory, absolute _power_. The chance to never be alone again.

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I told you before, you're weak! Everything you've done until now has been a waste of movement and breath. A wench like you has no business in the world of light…

--lavender eyes were banished with a pair of hot lips against her throat…

"Whaddya say, Mai?"

She didn't say anything. With only a second's hesitation--

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--burning pair of brown eyes—

She took his hand.

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As the red motorcycle roared off, now carrying a second passenger into the darkening streets, no one knew that two dark brown eyes watched it leave, watched it swerve around a corner and disappear, long blonde hair winking like a flash of gold before vanishing…for him, probably forever.

He had been standing there for a good while, and he had seen everything. So she finally understood…why being with the Pharaoh and his posse was a slow type of poison that ate away at you from the inside out if you weren't privileged enough to be in their beloved Inner Circle

She understood why she didn't need their friendship, didn't need them. She didn't _deserve_ them.

And they could _never_ do _anything_ to deserve someone like her.

Of course, he didn't deserve her, either.

And with a flash of white and the swish of a trench coat, the street was empty once more.

Mai never saw Bakura again.

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Compy: I liked writing that! It allowed me to stretch my Conceit-loving muscles.

I really hoped you enjoyed it, even if you're not a big fan (or a fan at all) of Conceitshipping. It's not really romance, though, more like Mai being desperate and grabbing onto the first person who'll stay more than a few minutes, and Bakura's being a sadistic arsehole as usual. XP

Review, please!


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